Jewish Leaders Briefed by French Interior Minister in Washington on Anti-Terrorism Measures, Commitment to Combat Anti-Semitism

February 24, 2015

Mark Weitzman, the Wiesenthal Center’s Director of
Government Affairs, along with other American Jewish leaders were briefed by
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (photo below left) on the ongoing threats from Islamist
terrorists and the measures being taken to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism.

“We applaud the commitment expressed by Minister Cazeneuve and the French
government to safeguard the Jewish community in France and to fight against all
manifestations of anti-Semitism and extremism in France,” Weitzman said. “The
Wiesenthal Center is in close touch with French officials to help create
strategies that will degrade the marketing capabilities of ISIS and other
Islamist extremists,” Weitzman added.

“However, while we welcome all these measures, the
Wiesenthal Center is outraged and deeply concerned by the insertion of
anti-Semitism into the mainstream of French politics by former Foreign Minister
Roland Dumas who alleged undue “Jewish influence” on the government. It will be
up to France’s elite, in government, media and the culture to make clear that
anti-Semitism will not be tolerated wherever it rears its ugly head and
whatever the source,” he concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest
international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400.000 members. It
is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the
OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament.